Can body maker



E. LAXO CAN BODYMAKER Oct. 27, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 2, 1950 :L" INVEN TOR.

I0 ZIXO Oct. 27, 1953 LAXO 2,656,806

CAN BODYMAKER Filed June 2, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR. i0 [410 Patented Oct. 27, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CAN BODY MAKER Ed Laxo, Oakland, 0511:.

Application June 2, 1950, Serial No. 165,617

Claims. 1

This invention relates to a can body maker.

In can body makers. can bodies are provided with oppositely hooked ends and are wrapped about a horn with the hooked ends interlocked. A bumper steel is caused to hammer the hooked ends to form a side seam in the can body.

In can body makers high speed of operation is essential and the seams should be formed with a high degree of perfection. Defective seams result in leakage of the can and rejection of the can bodies.

One present day conventional can body maker employs a bumper steel carried by a cross head which is rotatably mounted on the upper end of a rod. The rod, in turn, is rotatably mounted on a crank shaft. The cross head is guided for vertical movement by means of a slide. Difficulties are encountered with slides employed for this purpose. Thus, acid or flux used for soldering the seams, splashes over the slide, thereby fouling it, causing defective operation and requiring frequent shutdowns for repairs. Furthermore, for a slide to work satisfactorily it must be relatively long. This increases the over-all height of the machine and makes it difficult for an operator to work on the machine. If the machine is intended to form seams on cans of large diameter, the over-all height is so great that it is necessary to employ platforms for the operators.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved type of can body maker.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a can body maker having a bumper guide which eliminates the necessity of a slide.

It is a particular object of the invention to provide a can body maker which eliminates the necessity of a slide for guiding the bumper steel and which involves fewer relatively moving parts than heretofore.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a can body maker which is low in over-all height.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a can body maker which is readily and accurately adjustable to form side seams on can bodies of different diameters.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the ensuing description and the appended claims.

One form which the invention may assume is exemplified in the accompanying drawings and is described in detail hereinafter.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary end elevation of the machine.

Figure 2 is a section taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an elevation of the cross head and its guide mechanism, and it illustrates the manner in which the guide mechanism can be adjusted.

Referring now to the drawings, the body maker of my invention is generally designated as H), and it comprises a stationary frame H in which is journaled a crankshaft l2. The crankshaft |2 has the usual cheeks l3 and crankpin l4, and a connecting rod l 5 is provided, the lower end of which is rotatably mounted on the crankpin I4, as by means of a split strap l6 and cap screws H. The tubular upper end [B of the rod l5 rotatably receives a bumper pin l9 which has eccentric ends 20 for a purpose explained hereinafter. r

A cross head 2| is provided having a split collar 22, which is clamped by means of cap screws 23 to bushings 24a on the eccentric ends 20 of the bumper pin l9. The cross head 2 l. is formed with a groove 24 to receive a bumper steel 30, which is clamped in the groove by means of cap screws3l.

Caps 32 are clamped to the ends of the bumper pin [9 and to the sides of the cross head 2|, as by means of cap screws 33. The cross head 2| is formed with a guide arm 34, the outer end of which is mounted in the manner explained hereinafter and which serves to guide the move ment of the bumper steel 30. The bumper steel 30 bumps or hammers the interlocked hooks 36 on a can body 31 which is clamped to a horn 38, thereby forming a seam which is shown at 36a. The can body is automatically clamped to the horn 38, and its hooked ends 36 are auto matically interlocked, by any suitable means such as those well-known in the art, e. g., by means of arms 39. An anvil or backup member 40 is also provided, which is operated automatically by any suitable means to provide a backing for the horn at the instant of impact of the bumper steel thereon. These elements, 1. e., the arms 39 and anvil 40, form no part of-the present invention, and appropriate means for accomplishing their intended operations are well-known in the art.

It will be apparent that the bumper steel 30 swings through an are which is indicated at II. It is necessary to provide a means for guiding the bumper steel so that it coincides with the hooked ends 36 at the moment of impact. It is also desirable to provide guide means for causing the bumper steel to swing in a vertical plane at the instant of impact. Onthe other hand, it is some,

times advantageous to hammer the seam more on one side than on the other. It is, therefore, desirable to provide guide means for the bumper steel which is operable, by appropriate adjustment, to guide the bumper steel vertically, or to 5 bias it toward one side or the other. It is also desirable to provide a means for rapidly and accuratelyadjusting themachinaior cans. of diti'erent diameters.

To achieve these various objects, the cross head guide arm 34, and a mounting assembly 45 there, for, are provided and will now be described in detail.

A vertical shaft or post 46 is providediwhichiis fixed to the frame of the machine. A split collar 15' 4'! is clamped to the shaft 46 by means oiloap screws 48. It will, therefore, be apparent that, by loosening the screws 48, sliding the wharf! up or down the post 46=to the desired position and then tighteningthescrews' 48; 'th'emounti'ng assembly can be adjusted to and cl'amped iir any. selected verti'calposition:

' I The collar 4 is formed with a boss 4Q' w-hich is'bored out at BUt'o receive a'pivot pi'n't'al The pin 5| is clamped in the passage by meansnof a cap screwvfli and' a guidearmextens-ion- 53 is rotatably-mounted on thepinbli The outer endr of thecross head guidearm 3'4"-is= formedwitli aneye 54 150 receive=a-screw which is threa'ded at 55a into-the guide armextension 53: It will be apparent that the cross head guide arm 34 and the' bumper steelSfl willswing inan are 4i having as its center'the ax-is of the pivot pin- Hi If this axis-lies in the same horizontal planeastheseam; itwill' be--apparent"that; at the instant of impact with'the can body; the-bumper steel 30 will be traveling in a vertical planewhiclr is-tangentto*tlie arc4 li If; however, his desired to hammer" the seam: on side a; then= the-- collar 41 will be" moved downwardly along the post- 45, and if it is deslred to hammerth'e -seam more-onthe-sided);- then the collar Will-"be moved upwardlyalongthe-post4-6. I

Provision is also made, by the meanswliiz'rliwill now-be described: f or adjusting the -machine= for can bodies of different diameters-.- Assumingthat the machine illustrated in the drawings is intended for' form-ing can bodies' having a" maxi'-- mm-diameter creep, inches (which are --referred to' in*the'art-' as No. 404 cans) the eye or collar" 54 cm thecrossheadguidearm- 34*will' be locatedadjacent the guidearm extension- 53', illus"-- tratedin'Figurerli If, then; it is desired toad just" the" machine to: formseams on can bodies having'a diametenof; saythreeinchesiNo. 3'00" 55 cans) ahorn-of suitable diameter'will" b'e' sub stituted forth-at illustrated, anda wider-bumper steel (i. e. 1 inches wider), sliown'irrFi'gurefij will be used: Also a tubular spacertSwill be"in"-= seated-between the guide arm extension 5 3 and the eye-54-.- A screw 55*oiappropriatelength will} of course; beused? The spacer" 56* will beofa length equal to the "difference in canbodydiaIIY- eter; i. e.--, in-the example given; the' spacer 58 wouldbe l A inclies long. A ffirthei" adjustment feature of tire-machine is provided by the eccentric mountlngof the'cross" headj Z'I on the"bumper=-pin" 19. As stated hereinabovee andas-shown in Figure 2 orth'e drawing; the ends -M- of th'e bumper" pin are eccentric. It happens frequently that some slight vertical adjustment of the bumper steel is" requiredf in addition'to-adjustments'of the guide-arm'mount ing assembly; 45 -on post 46 5- Th-is' slight adjustment may be accomplislied by loosening 'thecap" screws 33, turning the bumper pin l9 until the exact adjustment has been made, and then tightening the cap screws.

It will thus be apparent that a can body maker has been provided which avoids the necessity of employing a slide for guiding the cross head and bumper steel, and which avoids the major disadvantagesmfl a slide such as fouling of the slide andan undesirabl'y great oven all height of the machine. The bumper guide illustrated in the drawings and described above, is simple in construction and operation. It can be readily adjusted to provide an absolute vertical movement oi the bumper steel at the moment of impact; or" it can be adjusted to cause the bumper steel to hammer the seam more on one side or the other, as desired. Furthermore, the bumper guide can be readily adjusted to accommodate the machine to can bodies of different diameters.

A feature i of major 's'ig-nific'ance or: m'y'mac-li'ihe is that it does not coiistrain the bumperst'eel' to vertical movement but allows it to swing inan arc: The-disadvantages of'slides are, therefore; avoided- Also; my machiIie has an" advantage over' parallel links which have also been used heretofore to guide a bum'per steel; A difliculty inherent in parallel link guides isj. that the bumper is alwaysfim'a'intained i'ri a vertical posi-" tion',- but must necessarily shifti laterally during: movement. This lateral shifting?ixtiipalrts to' the bumpenw-sheiaring actionatthe instant or mpact with: the canbouy seam; which has a tend ency to shear or deform the seam. In my ma: chine a nea rly absolute-verticalmovement; or a" calculated; controlled bia'sed' movement', is ini'-' parted-to the bumper steel at"this criticalinstantll-claimz l; A canbodyside' seaiii foriiiing meehinecomprising a: frameymeans for supporting acanbody blank with hooked-, interlocked ends in a prede termined plane,- a bumper member, crank nieans for actuating: said bum-permember to hammer said' ends an'd form aeseam, guidemea-ns 'for said bumper member including aguide arm fixed atone end to thebumpermember and a pivotal pivotal 1 mounting being rotatable abolit single axis and als'obeing"'adjustably' fiiied to the name:

to locate the pivot axis thereof in or on" either side of saidpredetermined plane; and means ineluding, a' pluralfty of spa'cersror fixing the other bumper having a working. edge iorbump'ingesaid' mterlock'e'dhooks to flatteh'the sameand iorm a" s1de' seam," said machine" also" comprising.- a guide for saidbumper pivotally mounted at one' on sai'd frame" for rotation about a' single pivot axis'which is'parallertothe' planbf and'is located" Substantially ill the" plane Of said sid'e seam, said bumper 'beihgconnecte'd'to the other end" orisaid guide, said guide constrainin the working edge of said'b'ump'er to move'ment in a circular archaving its centeronsaid'pivotaxis' and which passes through said side sea'm'j. the tangent to 531d meet its point of intersection With the side seam-beingsubstantiallyr erpeii dicular to the plane of the sidesea'mi said "niachineals'o' comprising "driving means" for driving. the bumper through said are, said drivin'g'hieahs" acting directly on the bumper so as to impose substantially no bending moment on said guide at the instant of seam formation.

3. A can body side seam forming machine comprising a frame, a mandrel for supporting can bodies with their hooks interlocked, and a bumper having a working edge for bumping said interlocked hooks to flatten the same and form a side seam; said machine also comprising a guide for said bumper pivotally mounted at one end on said frame for rotation about a single pivot axis which is parallel to the plane of and is located substantially in the plane of said side seam, said bumper being connected to the other end of said guide, said guide constraining the working edge of said bumper to movement in a circular are having its center on said pivot axis and which passes through said side seam, the tangent to said are at its point of intersection with the side seam being substantially perpendicular to the plane of the side seam; said machine also comprising driving means for driving the bumper through said are, said driving means being in the form of a crank, a crank pin and a rod rotatably connected at one end to said crank pin and rotatably connected at its other end to said bumper, said driving means acting directly on the bumper so as to impose substantially no bending moment on said guide at the instant of seam formation.

4. A can body side seam forming machine comprising a frame, a mandrel for supporting can bodies with their hooks interlocked, a bumper having a Working edge for bumping said interlocked hooks to flatten the same and form a side seam, and a crosshead carrying said bumper; said machine also comprising a guide for said bumper pivotally mounted at one end on said frame for rotation about a single pivot axis which is parallel to the plane of and is located substantially in the plane of said side seam, the other end of said guide being fixed to said crosshead, said guide constraining the working edge of said bumper to movement in a circular are having its center on said pivot axis and which passes through said side scam, the tangent to said are at its point of intersection with the side seam being substantially perpendicular to the plane of the side seam; said machine also comprising driving means for the bumper in the form of a crank, a crank pin and a rod rotatably connected at one end to said crank pin and rotatably connected at its other end to said crosshead, said driving means acting directly on the bumper so as to impose substantially no bending moment on said guide at the instant of seam formation.

5. A can body side seam forming machine comprising a frame, a mandrel for supporting can bodies with their hooks interlocked, and a bumper for bumping said interlocked hooks to flatten the same and form a side seam; said machine also comprising a guide arm non-rotatably connected at one end to said bumper and a pivot member rotatably mounting the other end of said guide arm for rotation about a pivot axis parallel to the plane of said side seam, said pivot member being adjustably connected to said frame to locate said pivot axis in the plane of and on either side of the plane of said side seam according to the adjustment of such member; said machine also comprising crank means for driving said bumper in the form of a crank, a crank pin, a connecting rod rotatably mounted at one end on said crank pin and rotably connected at its other end to said bumper, said crank means being separate from and independent of said guide means.

ED LAXO.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 725,163 Smith Apr. 14, 1903 730,039 McGinnis June 2, 1903 837,008 Stewart Nov. 27, 1906 925,883 Eldridge June 22, 1909 997,021 Stevenson July 4, 1911 1,063,918 Graham June 3, 1913 1,574,848 Peck Mar. 2, 1926 2,135,579 Johnson Nov. 8, 1938 2,482,678 Laxo Sept. 20, 1949 

